Jose Guillen, OF, Seattle Mariners

December 11, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By David Wysocki
Edited by Ryan Dodson

If someone told you could have 10 garden sub sandwiches for the price of five, you would be stoked. Heck, those sandwiches even have cheese. Extra cheese. The expensive French kind too. Of course for you carnivores out there, you can substitute a hamburger, if you wish. This is the kind of deal the Seattle Mariners may have received when they signed oft-injured outfielder Jose Guillen to a one-year $5.5 million deal with a mutual option worth $9 million for 2008. He has performance incentives that could raise his 2006 salary to $8.5 million.

Considering this offseason's crazy market, Guillen may be the biggest bargain with reliever Takashi Saito, whom the Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed for a one-year deal worth $1 million.

Guillen, 30, has a rocket arm and has immediately made the Mariners' outfield defense scary as he joins perennial All-Star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Guillen will camp in right field as Suzuki will shift to center. He fills a desperate need for a power hitting outfielder in Seattle, whose offense has underperformed after lucrative contracts to sluggers third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Richie Sexson in past years.

Guillen also brings scary potential at the plate. He had hit 24 homers or more in three consecutive seasons before last year when he played just 69 games due to a right elbow injury and surgery. His best year was in 2003 when he went Ya-Ya 31 times and coupled that with a .313 batting average. He boasted an OPS of .928 that year. He joins Suzuki, Sexson, Beltre and outfielder Raul Ibanez in a batting order that should be scary for most big league pitching.

Table: Jose Guillen's Statistics - 2002 to 2006

Year	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OPS
2002	240	25	57	8	31	4	.238	.654
2003	485	77	151	31	86	1	.311	.928
2004	565	88	166	27	104	5	.294	.849
2005	551	81	156	24	76	1	.283	.817
2006	241	28	52	9	40	1	.216	.674

Guillen, from 2002 to 2006, has made his rounds through big league clubhouses. He has played for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2002), the Cincinnati Reds (2002-03), the Oakland Athletics (2003), the Anaheim Angels (2004) and the last two seasons with the Washington Nationals. Before that he had played with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Add the Seattle Mariners to that list now.

It is not quite clear how the Dominican's arm will heal after surgery near the mid-point of last season, but everybody is expecting he will be fine. There should not be any ill effects on his swing. It is important to note of his 2006 season prior to the injury. Going into April Guillen was also having shoulder problems. Injuries have been a nemesis for him.

In a lineup involving such big sluggers, it is only natural to assume Guillen will hit much better than he did in Washington. A lot of his production will be reliant on the guys ahead of him; most notably Beltre and Sexson who have disappointed many Mariners fans over the last couple seasons. But mutualism could be in play here as Guillen gives Sexson great protection.

An additional potential hamper to Guillen's production is that Safeco Field probably won't help Guillen knock out anymore bombs, as it is considered one of the better pitcher-friendly parks in the bigs. But his former stomping grounds, RFK Stadium, profiles that as well, so Guillen should be used to it. The move to the American League should help, though. Guillen will make this offense and defense better, and if the Mariners can add an arm or two, they may make a run in the AL West.

Guillen will be on every AL-only team and will be drafted relatively high most likely. Users reliant on ranking systems based on 2006 numbers will probably miss out on this one, though. If he drops, make sure you take him. He will probably be on most, and eventually all, other types of fantasy teams. Rotisserie leagues will probably love him because of the run production potential he possesses. He will not, however, steal you 20 bags, so don't expect it. Expect a .285 batting average, 26 homers and 87 RBI. He is a player to watch everyday, as is any player with a history of injuries. If Guillen can put up the numbers we expect him to, he should prove to be one of the bargains of the 2006 free agent inflation. Look for Guillen in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft as a low-risk option with some upside.

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David Wysocki

David has been a KFFL writer since 2005. He is a San Diego native and a History and Geography student at California State University-Chico. He has a writing background and has appeared in, and helped produce, various local newsletters and magazines on sports and music. He also pitched for the No. 2 nationally ranked Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns his senior year of high school in 2002.

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